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Both housing starts and completions are on the increase, according to the latest English house-building statistics published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
These figures for England show that seasonally-adjusted the starts in the June quarter 2014 increased by 18 per cent on the same quarter a year earlier while completions estimated at 29,540 in the June quarter 2014 were six per cent higher than the previous quarter.

The annual pace of US house price growth slowed in June, a survey has indicated, continuing a long-term deceleration in the US housing market.
The S&P/Case Shiller 20-city index saw an 8.1% year-on-year price increase in June, compared with a 9.4% rise in May.

The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has published a prospectus inviting local councils across England to team up with developers to apply for funding to establish one of 10 'housing zones' proposed outside London.

Mortgage lending rose to £19.1bn in July to reach the highest monthly total since August 2008.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said the figure was 7% up from June, and 15% higher than July last year.
Caroline Offord, a CML analyst, said that mortgage lending remained robust, despite regulatory changes earlier this year to toughen lending criteria.
There was a 25% rise in property transactions in the first half of 2014, the CML said.

eMoov chief executive Russell Quirk says the role of traditional estate agents has been overstated and that their principal purpose in many transactions is to act as “a conduit to get properties on to the portals.”

Annual house price inflation was 10.2% in June, compared with 10.4% in May, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The rise was again driven mainly by London, where house prices increased by 19.3% over the year, a slight drop from the previous month's figure.
Excluding London and the South East, prices rose by 6.3% across the UK.
Prices were up in every region, including Northern Ireland, where they rose by 4.9%.

House builder Bovis Homes has reported a 150% rise in pre-tax profits to £49.4m in the six months to the end of June compared with £18.6m a year earlier.
It said house sales had benefitted from a "modest" improvement in house prices.
Bovis reported a sharp rise in both the number and value of the properties sold.

The cost of renting a home has risen by 2% in the last year, with increases seen across nearly every region of the UK, a survey has suggested.
The average cost of renting a home stood at £753 a month, according to LSL Property Services.
This was up from £738 a month in July last year and was the highest level seen since November.

News and blog
News and Blog
2014
August 2014
7 August 2014
Northern cities win backing for ambitious transport strategy
Northern cities win backing for ambitious transport strategy
Chancellor George Osborne has committed the Government to back a new economic and transport plan developed by a coalition of five key northern cities. This is seen as a key element of the embryonic strategy designed to establish ‘northern powerhouse’ based on the city regions of Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.
The report was produced in response to the challenge set out by HS2 chairman Sir David Higgins in his original report HS2 Plus and the Chancellor in his ‘Northern Powerhouse’ speech on 23 June.

UK housebuilding grew at its fastest rate in nearly 11 years in July, a survey suggests.
The Markit UK Construction PMI report said home building grew at its steepest rate since November 2003, driven by strong demand for new projects.
Housebuilding is just a part of the PMI index. which also includes commercial building and civil engineering.

The troubled Co-operative Group has sold its farms business for £249m to health charity the Wellcome Trust.
The Co-op said it will now focus on its core retail and consumer divisions, including food, insurance and legal services, and its funeral business.
It will use the sale cash to reduce debt and invest in its core businesses.
The sale includes 39,533 acres of land, 15 farms, more than 100 residential properties, as well as some 27 commercial properties.

Homeowners could be compensated if the value of their property falls when new garden cities are built, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has suggested.
Mr Clegg told the BBC's Countryfile the government could buy homes blighted by developments or offer owners council tax cuts while building takes place.